Trump puts brakes on Netanyahu’s controversial Iran plan - Axios
US and Israeli leaders Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: from open sources)
US President Donald Trump rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to incite the Iranian population to protest against the government, reports Axios.
During their conversation, Trump told Netanyahu that he opposed encouraging people to take to the streets where they could be killed, according to a US official familiar with the call.
“Why the hell should we tell people to take to the streets when they'll just get mowed down?” Trump said to Netanyahu during their conversation.
Axios notes that this discussion revealed differences between the US and Israel regarding regime change in Iran. While Netanyahu lists an Iranian uprising among Israel’s main goals, US officials say Trump views regime change as a bonus rather than a primary objective.
Netanyahu made his proposal after last Tuesday’s Israeli strikes killed Iran’s National Security Chief Ali Larijani and Basij militia chief Gholamreza Soleimani, along with their deputies.
Anonymous Israeli officials stated that the killing of Soleimani was intended to enable a popular uprising, as he was responsible for suppressing protests.
According to a US official and an Israeli source, Netanyahu told Trump during the call that the Iranian regime is in chaos, creating opportunities for further destabilization.
At the same time, Trump expressed concern that a public call for protests would result in mass casualties, noting that thousands of Iranian protesters had been killed even before the war.
Situation in Iran
On March 24, Netanyahu vowed to continue strikes against Iran despite Trump’s statements about a swift resolution to the war.
A day earlier, Netanyahu spoke about his conversation with Trump regarding a possible agreement with Iran. The US president was reportedly beginning to discuss a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.
The US‑Israeli campaign against Iran began on February 28 of this year. However, Tehran did not capitulate as quickly as Washington had anticipated, prompting Trump to recently begin discussing ending the confrontation.
